Shi Tiexin practiced his technique for three circuits on the field, then stopped. His internal organs had already reached their limit. The stomach and intestines' rapid refinement of food came at a price; he could not overdraw them without limit, or it would damage his foundation. Besides, refining three wisps of Primal Vital Energy in such a short time meant his body needed time to adjust.
Three wisps of Primal Vital Energy drifted through his lower abdomen like thin mist, impossible to see or grasp. But Shi Tiexin clenched his fist, and his Spirit, Energy, and Mind truly felt far stronger than before. Of course, a full meal was better than an empty stomach no matter what. Yet after refining Primal Vital Energy, his physical strength was fuller and his vigor more abundant than after an ordinary meal.
It was as if he had once been an empty shell, and something was now being poured into it. From the inside out, his whole person gradually became fuller.
The further this process went, the more obvious it would become. Once he had accumulated a hundred wisps of Primal Vital Energy, he could break through into the next stage of Essence Nurturing. After doing the math, he found that gathering one hundred wisps would take only around ten days.
However, Primal Vital Energy dissipated easily. If he made a major move and fought someone, if his food-energy replenishment could not keep up, or even if his emotions spiraled out of control and he panted like an ox, Primal Vital Energy would dissipate. This was an energy that lay extremely close to the essence of human physical strength—easy to refine, but equally easy to turn back into stamina.
Thus, there could be a vast difference between the theoretical time required for Essence Storing and the actual time. Especially at Tumubao Orphanage, where disputes never ceased and fights never stopped. In theory, Shi Tiexin could have completed Essence Storing in seventy days, but in reality, his first attempt took more than a year from beginning to end.
But now, at Fengming First High School, he ate well and lived well. After dealing with Teng Chaobiao, he had also killed a chicken to scare the monkeys. As the saying went, throw one punch to open the way, and spare yourself a hundred punches to come. Across all of Fengming First High School, any punk who wanted to pick a fight with him had to consider Urine-Soaked Phoenix Claws' fate and weigh their own capabilities.
So now, even the external conflicts could be considered largely settled.
With such excellent cultivation conditions, this was truly the first time in Old Tie's life that he had encountered them. No wonder this was a Sacred Land for cultivation!
Shi Tiexin was full and satisfied, refreshed in body and spirit. He was calculating whether to attend class that afternoon or scout things out in preparation for skipping school. After all, the only thing on his mind now was the elementary mind-art manual. If he could settle that matter soon, he could quickly begin true mind-art cultivation.
Being in a Sacred Land of mind arts yet failing to properly improve his mind-art cultivation would be far too much of a loss.
Just then, Shi Tiexin saw a student enter his field of vision and walk straight toward him with a clear purpose. He did not know this person, but the student wore a conspicuous and familiar red armband.
A lackey of the Discipline Committee.
"You're Shi Tiexin, right?" The Discipline Committee student was direct. "Come with me. Director Zheng wants to see you in the Dean's Office."
Director Zheng? Wasn't that Square Head? What did he want with him? Could it be that he wanted to ask whether Shi Tiexin was living well and eating well in the Trash Class dormitory?
If he could not figure it out, he would not dwell on it. Shi Tiexin nodded and gave the same two words as always. "Lead the way."
The class bell rang, and the entire school immediately fell silent. The Discipline Committee student led Shi Tiexin through the office building. Their shoe soles struck the floor, echoes ringing through the empty halls.
The Discipline Committee student stole glances at Shi Tiexin behind him and could not help muttering to himself. Normally, when the Dean's Office wanted to see someone, they could simply announce it over the school broadcast and tell them to come on their own. He had no idea what this kid had done to warrant sending the Discipline Committee to personally apprehend him. It had to be something serious.
Yet the boy looked calm and composed. He was genuinely hard to read.
Trash Class students formed a relatively closed little circle. The topics punks relished discussing were things top students disdained to learn about, assuming they were all foolish nonsense anyway. This Discipline Committee student from the Key Class had not yet heard about Teng Chaoguo, and did not know Shi Tiexin had come because of him.
But since he could not read him, he stopped thinking about it. The Discipline Committee student merely brought Shi Tiexin to the destination, knocked on the door and announced him, then came out and said, "Go in."
Shi Tiexin pushed open the door and entered the Dean's Office. Its furnishings were simple and its style severe, making one feel the omnipresent pressure the instant one stepped inside. But how could such a setup possibly move Shi Tiexin? Or rather, even if he wanted to show a reaction now, he could not. His expression could not be arranged, so he still wore a fearless, resolute look, his gaze straight ahead.
Zheng Kaiming sat in his chair and carefully looked Shi Tiexin over from top to bottom. To his surprise, he found that Shi Tiexin had changed subtly since before. He could not say exactly where the change lay. Perhaps... he had more Spirit, Energy, and Mind? Sunlight streamed in through the large window, casting a glow over Shi Tiexin's face. It actually made him look thick-browed and big-eyed, filled with upright righteousness.
Zheng Kaiming keenly and meticulously observed every detail of Shi Tiexin, trying to glimpse the truth through those details. Shi Tiexin's gaze was straight, without the slightest evasion. His posture was upright, loose as a pine and standing like a crane. He was neither nervous nor affectingly coy. Without firm convictions, a clear conscience before heaven and earth, and strict self-discipline, no one could possibly achieve such bearing.
No matter how he looked at him, this was the very image of an outstanding student representative. Could he really have fought with delinquent youths?
Zheng Kaiming began doubting his own judgment again, but he still needed to give the boy a warning. Like yesterday—he had clearly only agreed to transfer him to another class, yet he had insisted on saying he was being expelled. Scaring students was the most fun!
Thus, he deliberately put on a creepy half-smiling expression. "Shi Tiexin, have you gotten used to Class 28?"
Shi Tiexin, however, did not notice Zheng Kaiming's sinister intentions. That smile was probably... due to his unusual skull. The direction of his facial muscles was presumably different from ordinary people's too. Perhaps he was simply born looking like that when he smiled. There probably was no malice in it. Yes, that had to be it.
Since he was born that way, what was there to care about?
So he really had come to check on his living conditions. This teacher was not bad.
Therefore, Shi Tiexin answered calmly, "It's fine."
"It's fine? No, I don't think so. On your very first day in Class 28, you committed a grave error. And you call that fine?" Zheng Kaiming carefully observed Shi Tiexin's expression after speaking, hoping to startle some truth out of him. Yet Shi Tiexin only revealed a look of confusion.
He had worked with students for so long that he had seen every kind of pretender. Whether someone was acting was something he could more or less tell at a glance. But to his surprise, this Shi Tiexin seemed genuinely not to understand what he meant.
And in truth, Shi Tiexin really did not understand. He asked, "A grave error?"
Huh? A grave error? What grave error had he committed now? Had he done something wrong? Surely not. Did this Sacred Land of mind arts have such strict rules that he could somehow commit an offense without even knowing it?
Zheng Kaiming was beginning to believe Shi Tiexin was innocent, but he decided to test him one final time. "Heh, keep pretending. What are you pretending for? You beat up Teng Chaoguo and four others, and even dunked Teng Chaoguo in a urine... Urine bucket. Wasn't that your doing?"
Before you continue